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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22593742">be brave</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/silkinsilence/pseuds/silkinsilence'>silkinsilence</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Femslash February 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Love Confessions, Pining</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:27:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22593742</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/silkinsilence/pseuds/silkinsilence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p></p><div class="center">
  <p>‍<br/>Florina will confess when the time is right, but the time will never be right.<br/>‍</p>
</div>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Florina/Lyndis (Fire Emblem)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Femslash February 2020 [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1621666</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>be brave</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Florina doesn’t intend to keep silent forever.</p><p>She will tell Lyn when she sees her again, when she finally finds her. She is a true pegasus knight now, and she will not be afraid. Talking to Lyn is the easiest thing in the world, so it will be easy to tell her.</p><p>It is not. They meet in a whirl of confusion, in a battle that’s all her fault, and Lyn’s parents are dead and she’s on her way to meet the grandfather she never knew she had—</p><p>It would be selfish to say anything, Florina thinks. When this trouble is over, she will say something. The burden of expectation slides off her shoulders and it is a relief, but also something sour and disappointing curdles in her stomach.</p><p>The night they spend in the old ruined fortress, the bandits chased off and their small group camped between old stone walls, she watches Lyn and Kent from a distance. He is a proper knight, chivalrous and courageous and measured. He came into Lyn’s life to deliver her news of noble lineage and to escort her safely home. Florina has crashed into Lyn’s life, twice now, as a problem to be solved.</p><p>“Don’t worry,” Sain says, catching her by surprise and causing her to jump and squeak. “Kent’s a gentleman. He won’t do anything untoward. Neither will I, Lady Florina.”</p><p>He winks, and she blushes, and though she just wants to slink away she somehow stammers out, “I—I didn’t—I mean—they just look—happy.”</p><p>She’s surprised when Sain’s expression shifts, suddenly much more serious. He glances over at them too, and then offers a short laugh.</p><p>“So they do.”</p>
<hr/><p>Lord Lundgren is dead and Lyn is reunited with her grandfather and Florina has found herself in service of Caelin, and the trouble is over but still she says nothing. Her old reasons have been replaced with new ones: Lyn is getting to know her grandfather and learning the responsibilities of her new position, and she doesn’t need Florina being a bother.</p><p>But Lyn still visits her almost every day, and time passes wonderful and dreamlike and agonizing all at once, and Florina is certain that she will never be brave enough to earn anything at all.</p><p>Then Laus attacks and the lords Eliwood and Hector sweep them all off on an adventure again, and happy as she has been in Caelin Florina finds herself exhilarated to be traveling again. Lyn is Lyn, not Lady Lyndis; the structure that has provided a barrier and safety is suddenly gone and it is thrilling. They might be children again, playing in the fields of Sacae and sleeping under the stars, except that the fate of the world depends on their company’s success.</p><p>She improves her lancework under Marcus’s stern eye and shares a tent with Serra and Ninian and finds herself dodging Black Fang arrows and axes until it becomes almost easy, and she tells herself that <em>this </em><span>time, really this time when it’s over she’ll tell Lyn.</span></p><p>She doesn’t believe herself as she tells it, and she is a perpetual child, cowardly and more concerned with the matters of her heart than the shadowy villains they face.</p><p>But childlike as she is, and <em><span>naïve</span></em> as they all see her to be, she asks innocent questions and thinks nobody suspects her true interest.</p><p>“My heart belongs to Saint Elimine,” Lucius stutters, the normally serene monk flushing and immediately finding an excuse to end the conversation.</p><p>“Such matters should be approached carefully, with the head <em>and </em>the heart,” Canas says cheerfully.</p><p>“I’ve never really gotten it, you know? Nobody caught my eye like that. But there <em>are </em>a lot of lookers around now,” Rebecca says, her cheeks going pink.</p><p>“Oh, Lord Pent and I? We were head over heels for each other.” Louise’s smile is radiant and nostalgic and Florina finds it hard to listen to what she’s saying.</p><p>“Best confess quickly and get it over with, and take to the bottle when it all goes to shit,” Legault interjects, overhearing. “Poor girl.”</p><p>He knows, Florina is certain, and she is so embarrassed that she gives up talking to anyone and avoids so much as looking in his direction for a week.</p>
<hr/><p>There will never be a right moment. Ninian is dead; the friend she treasured and with whom she shared a tent and her doubts is dead, and she could never have really understood Florina at all, not when she was a being more powerful and alien than any of them could imagine. What arrogance to think they were really friends at all.</p><p>There will never be a right moment, but the Black Fang’s archers shoot straight, and they left Rebecca in a grave in Nabata and Erk was gutted by a cavalier and a brigand’s axe broke Isadora’s lance in two and cleaved through her breastplate <em>right in front of her—</em></p><p>She catches Lyn, wan and looking as distraught as the rest of them, in the halls of Castle Ostia. She does not have the right words, has never had the right words, but she opens her mouth and suddenly there is a flood coming out.</p><p>“After this—after all of this—I—well, I don’t think I’ll survive, but if I do—if we do—”</p><p>“Florina,” Lyn says, catching her hand and holding tight. “What is it?”</p><p>“I want to go back to Sacae with you. I want to be with you, wherever you go. That’s what I’ve wanted ever since we met and you were so kind to me. I’ll be your knight. I’ll be strong for you. But Lyn—Lyndis—”</p><p>There are arms around her and Lyn is holding her tight, so tight.</p><p>“Yes,” Lyn says, and sniffles. “Florina—”</p><p>“I love you,” she says, as easily and naturally as if it was never an effort at all.</p><p>“My knight.” Lyn pulls back, and though her eyes are red and bright she smiles. “We <em>do </em>have a future. Together.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Comments always appreciated!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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